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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
One of boxing's top stars, Gervonta Davis, solidified his status as the sport's best fighter with another highlight-stopping victory on Saturday.
Davis's signature left uppercut left Frank Martin confused, then a left cross sent the defenseless challenger to the mat for the count of 10 in the eighth round. Davis, ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer, could face Vasiliy Lomachenko in a lightweight summit later this year.
“Tank” Davis' WBA lightweight title defense was billed as the 100th title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was Davis' first fight in 14 months (his seventh-round TKO win over Ryan Garcia last April) and his first since spending 44 days incarcerated last summer.
David Benavidez made his light heavyweight debut in a PBC PPV co-sponsored bout and comfortably defeated former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk via unanimous decision. Though Benavidez wasn't stopped, he put in an impressive performance that gives him an eye on bigger fights at 175 pounds.
In other bouts on Saturday, Australia's Liam Paro scored a major upset victory over Sabriel Mathias by deciding fight to win the IBF junior welterweight title.
Here's what we learned from those three matches and how they impact the title.
Davis' counterattack is explosive, is Lomachenko next?
Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) reminded everyone why he is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport with another impressive knockout win. Martin came out fired up and used his sharp jab to take the early rounds. All three judges gave Martin the win after the first three rounds.
Martin, in his first title fight, managed to mark Davis' right eye with his left hand while boxing off his backfoot, but “Tank” usually gets off to a slow start and this night was no exception.
Davis' slick pressure began to tire Martin with his southpaw jab and explosive lefts. It was only a matter of time before one of those punches landed, and when it did, Martin couldn't catch it. He'd never been knocked down before, and this was his first time at the elite level.
With another opponent out of the running, there will be renewed calls for the Baltimore native to seek his first title unification bout at age 29. Preliminary negotiations are underway for a matchup between Davis and IBF lightweight champion Lomachenko, the Ukrainian fighter who is ESPN's No. 1 ranked lightweight and a future Hall of Famer.
Davis, the No. 2-ranked lightweight by ESPN, is also eyeing a fight with Shakur Stevenson in the fall. Stevenson will defend his WBC 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 and then become a promotional free agent, opening the door for a Davis bout.
Benavidez wins dominant victory in 175-pound debut
One of boxing's fastest-rising stars, Benavidez had long sought a fight with Canelo Alvarez but moved up to light heavyweight after that failed to pan out.
His first bout at 175 pounds was against former champion Gvozdyk, who had previously defeated Adonis Stevenson by TKO but was forced into retirement by Artur Beterbiev in 2019.
Gvozdyk had been out of the ring for three and a half years before returning last year with three bouts against lower-ranked opponents. He was a tough fighter until the end against Benavidez, but Gvozdyk was never able to threaten the win.
Benavidez, at his new weight, wasn't able to throw his usual volume of punches, but he showed improved defense, putting pressure on Gvozdyk and dodging his punches multiple times, including blocking many of his blows with his arms.
Benavidez pounded Gvozdyk's body for the win by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. He may next face super middleweight contender David Morrell in the fall, who is also moving up to 175 pounds. The Cuban makes his light heavyweight debut on August 3 against Radivoe Kalajdzic.
The headline bout for Benavidez, outside of the Alvarez bout, will be the winner of the Oct. 12 match between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the unbeaten light heavyweight championship.
One concern is Benavidez's power at his new weight class. Despite the damage he inflicted on Gvozdyk, he never put the Ukrainian in any serious trouble. Benavidez will likely need to work harder to face better fighters like Beterbiev or Bivol.
“I was just trying to get a feel for light heavyweight,” said the 27-year-old Benavidez. “The guys in this division are a little bit more aggressive. … I cut my eye two weeks ago. … I tore a tendon in my right hand, so I didn't think I could survive tonight, but I got through it.”
Palo's loss to Mathias sends shockwaves through the 140-pound division
For the second time in three months, a junior welterweight title bout has caused a major upset. The first was Ryan Garcia, who knocked down Devin Haney three times in April to win by decision, but the result is expected to be overturned after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.
This time it's Palo, who defined the odds for a 140-pound title fight with a win over Mathias on enemy turf.
Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) didn't cave in to Mathias' relentless pressure as he traded blows with the power puncher, but the win didn't seem like a fluke, as the 28-year-old was well-prepared and showed off the versatility of his arsenal in the best performance of his career.
This was another road win for Paro, who traveled to the United States in December and won by sixth-round knockout over Montana Love. After these two wins (this time as ESPN's No. 2 ranked 140-pounder), the newly-formed champion could find himself in the top five of the division when the ESPN rankings are updated next week.
The division is hotly contested: Jack Catterall beat Josh Taylor in a rematch last month to rise to No. 4 in the rankings, and lineal champion Teofimo Lopez defends his IBF title against Steve Clagett on June 29 in Miami.
There are now plenty of attractive opponents for Paro, with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn saying he would like to stage a title defence for him in Australia, where Tim Tszyu and George Kambosos Jr. fought in front of huge crowds.
The most attractive thing would be a rematch with Matthias, especially in Australia. It would be a hard-fought bout and the fans would love to see him back.
Mathias is represented by Matchroom, as are Catterall and Richardson Hitchens.
